Falling Slowly
by NJ McRiley
Summary: The summer before Lily's 7th year is full of many surprises. The biggest is she is being transferred to a school in America with the last person she ever imagined as her protector. Will Lily be able to put aside the pain she has felt over the summer?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Lily sat with her three best friends around the fire in their common room. Their laughter filled the room. They had just finished their last exam of their sixth year at Hogwarts. The next morning they would be boarding the train and go back to their parents homes. Plans had been made for when they would visit each other. Lily would first go to her own house for the first four weeks of summer holidays, then she would go to Alice's house for the next two weeks, Then she would travel to Memra's house for another two weeks. Then the last two weeks of holidays she would go to Jonas' (known as Joni to her closest friends) house.

The four of them had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts and had been doing this every summer since their second year. They each had very different background and different personality traits but somehow that had made them very close.

Lily is the brain of the group. She is often the one who comes up with ideas for things they should do. With a very witty and sarcastic sense of humor she often captured the eyes of everyone. She has mid-back length auburn hair and emerald eyes. She isn't the most beautiful of the group, but she was hardly unattractive.

Alice is the empathetic one of the group. She is the one the others came to when they needed advice or some one to talk to or even a shoulder to cry one. She has a calm collected-ness about her that was infectious. Her honey brown hair is shoulder length and her eyes are a matching shade of brown.

Memra was the humor in the group. She is able to find the humor in nearly everything and makes a joke about anything. She has been known to go a little overboard, laughing at inappropriate times. She has long strawberry-blond hair that had beautiful curls in it. Her eyes were dark blue. She was by far the most beautiful of the group.

Jonas (or Joni) was the leader of the group. She was the one who decided what they would do during their weekends. She would stand up for any of the girls. She was smart and quick on her feet. She could be a bit controlling, but it was all good-natured. She was the spitting image of her older brother; dark brown hair (nearly black) that she kept cut choppy and short (about chin length). Her eyes were a beautiful shade of a hazel.

The girls talked and laughed throughout the night. All were excited for the summer. Ready to meet new boys at the beach and just enjoy being sixteen. Slowly each girl began to fall asleep, dreaming of what the summer would bring her.

**Chapter 1**

It was three weeks into summer, and Lily was already ready to leave her parents home. It wasn't that she didn't love her parents. She just couldn't stand her sister, Petunia. At one point they had been very close, but over the years (what with Lily being accepted to a magical school) Petunia had grown the despise Lily. Every summer it was the same, Lily would come home and Petunia would begin to harass and torment Lily.

Lily had had enough of it by now. She was counting down the days until she could go to Alice's house. Unfortunately, first she had to go through a family dinner where she would meet her sister's fiancée. She knew she knew she must be one her best behavior, both her mother and sister had been reminding her for the past few hours. When it came time to get ready for dinner, Lily went upstairs to change into her ivory and black, empire waist tea dress. Storing her wand in a garter specially made for wands; she walked down stairs to meet the man her sister was going to marry.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Lily had to get out of the house. She had just performed unintentional magic, causing a vase filled with fresh flowers to levitate, fall, and shatter during family dinner, right in front of Vernon Dursley, heir to the Drill King himself. This had, of course, caused her sister to freak out at her.

So now she was walking around the gardens a few blocks from her house. She feared she might have done it this time. She was nearly sure that not only were her ties with her sister gone, but also with her parents. Their relationship had been waning over the past six years. That was the trend with the parents of muggleborn witches and wizards. The parents, most of the time, did not know how to deal with their child with new magical abilities and would, therefore, ignore it. This would often confuse the child, not knowing whether they should act like who they are becoming or who their parents want them to be.

Lily knew her parents loved her, but it was hard for someone who wasn't magical to understand the magical. That was why she was out here, walking in the dark. She knew that both herself and her parents had to cool down from this. So Lily walked in the garden, singing her favorite Beatles song, Julia, while smelling the flowers in the garden. The night began to cool down and Lily began to shiver as a light breeze touched her bare arms.

Soon the cold became unbearable and Lily decided to walk back home. The sun had long since set and now the world was filled with darkness. She knew she should have gone back hours ago but she was never able to make herself turn around. Now the sounds of the night filled her ears. Sirens went off, dogs barked, she could even hear the sound of screams from a couple blocks away. For the most part it was a peaceful night. That is until an explosion filled the air with chaos. The sound scared Lily and made her fall to the ground. The night silenced. Slowly Lily raised herself up in time to see a Dark Mark form itself in the air. Suddenly she was on her feet running to the sight of the Mark as fast as she could, struggling to pull her wand out as she ran. As she turned the last corner she began to cry. The Mark was floating over her house.

"Oh no…" Lily cried as she ran to the ruins of her house. She walked into the rubble, trying to find anything that was still whole. Neighbors were out of their houses now. The world seemed to go in slow motion for Lily. She looked around, trying to find any sign of her parents. Pictures lay everywhere, memories of her past was strewn about. Soon Ministry officials were showing up along with Aurors.

"Lily?" came a voice from behind her. "Oh my God! Lily are you ok?'

Lily turned around looking for the voice that was calling her, Suddenly she was face to face with a man dressed in black wizarding robes. He looked familiar to her, but her mind was so numb that no name came to her.

"It's James. Lily are you ok? They didn't hurt you right? I cannot believe they attacked a muggle family… I'm gonna…" he trailed on but Lily didn't listen. She was stuck on his name. James… it was so familiar but she couldn't place it. James. She went through the mental list of people she knew… suddenly her mind flashed her a picture of Joni. How could she have not placed it earlier? They looked so similar.

"James?" she whispered. He looked at her and she knew she was right. She threw her arms around his waist and began to sob. Tentatively James wrapped his arms around hr and began to soothe her.

"Shhh… Its ok now… Your safe." He cooed, rubbing his hand in small circles on her back, nearly lulling her into a trans.

"It's all my fault… I should have been here…" Lily sobbed.

"Shhh… no its not… we need to get you—"

"James, is this the girl?" came a gruff voice from across the yard.

"Sir, this is Lily Evans. Her parents owned this house." James said, stepping forward and looking more professional. "She wasn't home when the attack happened."

"Any fatalities?" The man with a gruff voice asked.

"Well, we are not sure. Her parents are currently MIA." James explained.

" Miss Evans, My name is Alastor Moody. I am the Head of the Auror Department. Miss Evans, I will need you to go back to HQ to answer some questions. Potter, take her back to my office and wait with her." He said before turning around to talk with a few other Aurors.

"Come on Lily." James said, pulling her to his side and apparating them to the Ministry of Magic.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you to all who read my story last chapter. I realized after I posted it that I didn't do any type authors note. So I am doing it now… sorta… of course we all know that I do not own any of the characters you are familiar with… although I wish I owned James… Haha! Oh and I guess I didn't make this clear in the last chapter, but James is in fact an auror.**

Chapter 2

Lily had a hard time sleeping that night. She had stayed in Moody's office well into the night. Around four in the morning she was finally allowed to leave, arrangements had already been made for her to go to the Potter's house for the rest of the summer. Now she was laying in bed, listening to the sounds of a silent house… well mostly silent. She could hear James speaking to his mother and father down the hall. When she had first arrived here Mrs. Potter had greeted her with a huge hug and had hurriedly taken her to the room she would be staying in.

She had tried to block tonight's events from her mind but had failed miserably. She couldn't help but think of how the sheets in this room were a little too scratchy… How the room had a strange smell to it… She knew that soon enough the sun was going to rise and she would have to face the world. She might as well try to sleep. Squinting her eyes tightly, she finally drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jonas Mae Potter! I forbid you form entering that room. Let Lily—" Mrs. Potter began. Lily had been lying awake in bed for the past few minutes. She had heard Joni and her mother coming long before they had arrived at her door.

"Mom! She is my best friend. She needs me! I am going in." Joni said before quietly opening the door. "Lily… are you awake?" She whispered as she walked towards the bed.

"Yes…" Lily breathed.

"Are… are you ok? Listen, Lily… I am so sorry… James says they are doing everything they can to find your parents…" Joni said, taking a seat at the feet of the bed.

"They wont find them…" Lily stated looking of in the distance. "There was a… a… D-d-dark Mark… over the house!" Lily began to sob. She pulled her knees to her chest and let out everything that had been plaguing her mind for the past few hours. Last night she had been hoping that since no bodies were found that her parents weren't actually dead. But once she recalled the Dark Mark hovering ominously over the rubble of the house she knew that the chances of her parents escape was minimal. Even if they were alive and just captured by Death Eaters she knew they would be as good as dead, for no one is captured by them and lives to tell the tale.

Joni put her arms around Lily and held her until Lily's body occasionally convulsed. "Lily, why don't we go get something to eat? Memra and Alice are going to be coming over soon… I owled them to let them know what was going on…"

"OK. Just give me a minute…" She said, sitting up.

"Alright, I think my mum put some of my clothes in your closet… I think she wanted us to take you shopping for clothes today… since all of yours are…" Joni said turning around at the door.

"Gone…"Lily finished for her. "Jonas, I don't mind going shopping… but I don't have much money, and I am not going to be a charity case. I need to save my money for books for next year…"

"Don't worry about it Lily. Just get dressed and come downstairs, ok?" She said before leaving the room.

Once the door was close Lily sat down on the bed to compose herself. She knew she needed to be strong. The tears wouldn't bring her parents back and neither would the self-pity. She had to hold her head up high and attempt to move on. Soon she would be off to school and then she would be getting ready to graduate and start her training.

Lily walked to the closet, grab a shirt and some shorts, and walked to the bathroom out in the hall to get ready for the day. Once inside she locked the door and rested against the counter. She knew today was going to be the hardest day of her life so far. Lily looked up at herself in the mirror and was surprised to see the girl looking back at her. Her face was tear stained and her mascara and eyeliner had run down her face. There was soot all over her face and her hair looked like a birds nest, with a few twigs sticking out randomly. She walked over to the shower and turned the water on as hot as it could go. Once she was in the shower she let the scalding hot water wash over herself, happy that she was able to finally feel something, even if it was physical pain.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**AN:I just want to thank all of you who reviewed my last chapter. And I would like to thank those of you who are lurking… Yes I know you have read it and I would be appreciative if you would also review… anyway… I realize this chapter is ridiculously short. I promise the next one will be longer. Thanks! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tied Together With a Smile

Hold on, baby, you're losing it

The water's high, you're jumping into it

And letting go... and no one knows

That you cry, but you don't tell anyone

That you might not be the golden one

And you're tied together with a smile

But you're coming undone

Breakfast went by quietly with no one knowing what to say. The plans had already been made for the day; Lily, Joni, and James would travel into London to buy some new clothing for Lily. Lily tried to refuse the money Mrs. Potter kept putting into her hands but in the end Lily's purse had been filled with galleon coins. Mrs. Potter had also forced Lily to alter her appearance so that people on the streets wouldn't notice her or bug her. Now Lily had dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes. Her skin was no longer creamy but now had an olive tone to it.

The streets were crowded just like any other day in London, which helped the three to blend in easier. By four the three had a few bags filled with shirts, jeans, skirts and even a dress. They stopped at a café to get some food before heading back home. When they arrived home they were surprised to see Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and a strange man both Lily and Joni had never seen before, sitting around the kitchen table.

"Lily," Dumbledore said, standing up, "I am glad to see you, Mr. and Miss Potter have arrive safely back at the house. Ah, I also see that you were able to replace your wardrobe."

"Yes, sir…" Lily responded, looking at the group of adults surrounding the table.

"Miss Evans, I need to speak with you privately." He said, looking at Joni, dismissing her with his eyes. Joni noticed this and turned to leave with James following her. "James, you may stay. This involves you. Please have a seat." With a wave of his wand two more chairs appeared around the small table. "Miss Evans, I am very sorry to hear about your parents. It saddens me to say that I am sure this is an event that you will not forget." Lily nodded her head in agreement. " The reason we are here, Miss Evans, is that we have reason to believe this will not be the last attack against you. We have been in discussion for the past day deciding what is to be done with you. We have come to the decision that it would be best for you to simply disappear."

"What? What do you mean disappear?" Lily questioned, her voice thick with the tears that had yet to fall.

"We have arranged for you to go to the States. You will be transferring to the Winston School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Salem, Massachusetts. You will be leaving in a week and Mr. Potter will accompany you there. You will be taking on the guise of Penny Claire Harrison. James, I wish for you to stay and keep an eye on Lily. You will be taking the role of the Transfiguration teacher at Winston. You shall also be disguised. Your name will be Liam Merrick Riley. We have the papers here for you. Now I would like to introduce you both to Mr. Thatchery Beckett the Headmaster at Winston." The man sitting next to Moody stood up, taking in the sight of the two young people. His gaze was kind and gentle but at the same time it was hard.

"Lily, James, it is nice to meet you both. I will warn you both now that Winston is very different than Hogwarts. It is very much an American school. For starters, Lily, there is no need for you to by any school robes. The students don't wear uniforms. Lily, here is your school supply list. You can either pick your things up here or once you are in the States. James," Professor Beckett said, turning his attention to the messy haired boy, "Minerva has told me a great deal about you and your talents in transfiguration. I look forward to seeing more from you." He finished by looking at his watch. "Dumbledore, I must go. It was nice seeing you, I am sure we will be in contact soon. Minerva, Moody, James, Lily." He said before disapperating.

"I guess that means it's my turn." Moody said in a raspy voice. "I have paper with information about your new identities in these envelopes. Lily, it is important that you do not contact you sister. We cannot risk the Death Eaters using her to get to you. James, you too must not contact your family, we cannot risk them finding you too. I have also arranged for a portkey to take you to Winston. It leaves next Friday at noon from Hogwarts. We need you to get there an hour early to go over a few last minute details and to transfigure your looks."

"Do either of you have any questions?" Dumbledore asked.

"No sir." They both mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Good, We will see you both next Friday. Good day." He said before standing before the three of them disapperated.

The two sat at the kitchen table for an immeasurable amount of time. Lily couldn't believe all of this was happening. First she lost her family and her home. Now she was losing her friends and her school. She was going to leave everything that she had ever known and ever loved in just a few days time. The worst part was that she couldn't tell anyone that she was leaving. She had to disappear… They had to disappear. How could she have forgotten so soon that James would be leaving more than her? He still had his family. He had a job he loved. He had his friends. He would be leaving them all. He had been dragged into something that would rip him away from everything to protect a silly muggle born witch who couldn't even protect her family.

"James…" Lily whispered, not daring to look at him. "I am sorry that you are having to do this… If there is anyway I can make this…less painful…"

"I am an auror. It is my job to protect those that I can from the Voldemort. I knew when I signed up for this job that there was the possibility that I would be relocated… I just never thought it would be this drastic…" He said the last part barely above a whisper. "Lily, we will make it through this. We need to learn to trust each other… We need to start packing. We only have a few days left… Once you are done packing let me know. If you write down what you need I will pick it up while I am in London tomorrow." With that said he stood to leave the room.

"Thanks, James…" Lily said. Lily knew what she needed to do now. It was time to find Joni and explain that she was leaving. She knew she was being disobedient, but she had to. She knew this was going to be hard on her raven-haired best friend, but it was better than just disappearing in the middle of the night. She couldn't do that to Joni. As Lily walked out of the kitchen she looked around the house that she had spent many weeks at during the summer holidays. Was this really the last time she would see this house? She sighed before continuing up the stairs to Joni's room.

When she reached the oak door she sighed before knocking.

"Lily?" Came Joni's voice from inside the room.

"Yeah, its me…"

"Come on in."

Lily entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her. Jonas was sitting at her desk, finishing some of her summer work. Lily walked to the bed and sat down.

"So what was Dumbledore doing here? What did he want to tell you? Did they find the Death Eaters? Lily, why aren't you saying anything? What's wrong?" Joni said moving across the room to sit next to her best friend.

"I have something to tell you… that I am not allowed to tell anyone. I need your word that you will not tell anyone. Not Memra, or Alice, or even your mother. It is detrimental for my safety that no one else knows." Lily said, looking Joni straight in the eyes.

"I… I promise Lily. I shall never tell a soul." Joni promised.

"Alright, Joni… I am not going back to Hogwarts… In fact this Friday I am disappearing. Dumbledore thinks it is safer for me to leave the country."

"What? Lily, you can't leave! This is our last year at school. We had plans to make this the best year ever. What are we going to do without you?" Joni cried.

"That's not the worst part. Your brother is coming with me. Joni, I am sorry…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The few days flew by quickly. Soon enough it was Friday morning and Lily and James were in Dumbledore's office. Lily's few things were packed in the duffle bag that lay at her feet. She stood looking at the portraits of the previous headmasters while the adults in the room were huddled at Dumbledore's desk, talking in whispers. Lily didn't bother to eves drop. She knew what ever it was they were talking about she didn't want to know.

Soon the group separated and Lily was asked to join them. Lily stood next to James as Dumbledore and McGonagall worked out a few of the finer details as to the transfiguration that was about to take place. Having decided what the two were going to look like, McGonagall asked Lily and Dumbledore to step back so that she could change James into Liam. Lily watched in amazement as James's nearly black hair lightened to a lovely shade of red with copper tones to it. She watched as the bridge of his nose shrank and his eyes turn from their lovely natural hazel to a shocking shade of blue. James's once tanned skin turned a pale that matched Lily's. His lips were made more full, and with one final look at him McGonagall nodded her head.

"Yes, that will do. I believe Potter, that when you look at yourself, it will be hard to believe that you were ever once James Potter. I am rather proud. Lily, your turn now." She said, dismissing James.

Lily took a deep breath in before switching places with the new Liam. Lily felt the changes to her appearance happening to her as she stood in front of her teacher. She felt the tingling sensation as her nose and eyes changed. She felt the weight of her hair, which was now a full foot longer than her actual hair. She watched as her fiery red hair darkened to a beautiful shade of brown.

"Yes, that is it." McGonagall said as Lily began to play with the ends of her hair.

"Lily, there is a mirror in that cupboard, you may go and get familiar with the new you." Dumbledore said politely.

As Lily walked to the cupboard, butterflies began to swarm in her stomach. When she saw the girl who she was going to be for the next few years her breath caught in her throat. Tears sprung to her new grey-blue eyes. The reality of what was about to happen had finally hit her as she looked at Penny's reflection in the mirror. She missed her almond-shaped green eyes. And her hair! Her once straight and short red locks now hung in long brown spirals. Her nose was now thinner and turned up at the tip. She noticed the tiny brown spots running across it. She had never had freckles before and she wasn't too sure that she liked them. Her once pale skin was now an olive tanned color. It was hard for her to believe it was truly her reflection she was looking at.

"Lily, we need you back over here now." James whispered from next to her.

"Oh, yes. Right." She replied before walking over to her professors.

"Unfortunately, Moody will not be able to make it. He was called away early this morning. Now, Liam and Penny, I have something for you two that you must pay close attention to. This here is a potion that I have had professor Slughorn make just for you two." Dumbledore said, holding up a clear purple tinged bottle with a cork in the top. "This potion allows for the drinker to maintain whatever transfiguration spell has been placed upon them, for a week. You must both take a teaspoon of this now and every Friday to come less you risk exposing your true self. This here should be enough to last the both of you for the next four months. I must stress that you take this regularly, but if you should miss and begin to transform back to your normal self, I have had Minerva write down the spells so you can have the other transfigure you back." He handed the potion to James and then picked up two large envelopes. "In these you will find all the papers you may need. It includes Birth certificates, passports, identification, transcripts, and even enchanted pictures of your new families and friends. Now when you arrive in Massachusetts you must check in with Head Master Beckett. He will show you to your individual quarters and give you a brief tour of the school and all the classrooms you will need to know."

"Now I am afraid the moment has come. James," Dumbledore turned to him, "The task you are about to face is not for the faint at heart. I know that you will succeed. Keep an open mind and heart. You will be in charge, but we know you will be brilliant. And Lily, you have seen so much pain over the past few days. I know you will find healing in America. Be open and willing to let people into your life. You must respect James; I trust him to be able to make wise decisions concerning your safety. Now I must say I will miss you both. You have everything? Right then. Here take hold of this here trainer. All right then. James, Lily, I wish the best of luck to the both of you. Good bye." And as Dumbledore finished the portkey lit up and began to vibrate under their fingers. Lily felt the uncomfortable feeling of her navel being pulled and before she knew it James and herself were spiraling through the air on their way to Winston.

* * *

AN: Thanks for being so patient with me! This chapter is longer than the last one and hopefully the next one will be longer! What you can expect in the next chapter is Lily making some new friends! oh also I have been working hard on a website for this story so you can see how I imagine the gang looking! It looks real good and once I have the next chapter up I will release the site. anyway please review! It always makes it a bit easier to write when you know people are out there reading your story. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I am going to start confusing a lot of you… well hopefully not. OK, here is what is happening. James and Lily must now be called by their fake names. So when They are being spoken to or about they will be called Penny and Liam, but to show that they are still themselves I will call them Lily and James. So it wont be like "Penny said, 'Blah blah.'" It will be "Lily said, 'blah blah.'" Get it? I think you will be able to catch on. I hope you like this next chapter!**

**Chapter 4**

The next thing Lily knew she was flat on her stomach in the grass with James' body crushing hers.

"Sorry." Muttered James, as he stood up smiling down at her. He reached his hand down to help her up and Lily accepted it.

"It's ok." She said, brushing the dirt off of her stomach and straightening her hair. "I guess we should go find the Headmaster now." Lily looked up and saw James looking at her. When she noticed his gaze she blushed crimson and looked away.

"Yeah, lets go." James replied before taking in his surroundings and then leading them to the closest building. They found the head master's office easily enough and soon they were on their way on a tour of the school. They were shown where each of Lily's classes would take place and where James's classroom/office/bedroom was. After being shown the dining hall and the kitchen's, Professor Beckett led them to Lily's new dorm.

Lily entered the room timidly. As she looked around she noticed that the room was very similar to her room back at Hogwarts. There were five four-poster beds with a wardrobe separating each. The colors of the room were red, burgundy, gold and bronze. The familiarity of the room was comforting.

"Penny, this will be your bed for the next year." Professor Beckett said, pointing to the bed next to the one large window in the room. She walked to the window and stared out. The scenery was much different than that of Hogwarts. There were no hills and many trees. The trees had already begun to change their colors.

"We will leave you to your unpacking." Professor Beckett waved his wand and Lily's luggage appeared next to her bed. Lily didn't bother to turn around. Tears had filled her eyes and she didn't want to risk the two men seeing them. She heard the footsteps as Professor Beckett left the room, and let out a heavy sigh making her shoulders sag.

"I guess this is it…" She said, barely above a whisper. She leaned her small body against the wall in defeat. The tears had now begun to spill over.

"Lily," James said moving near her, "You know you can always come and talk to me… You aren't in this mess alone. Anytime you need me just let me know. Think of me as an extension of Joni"

"Thanks." Lily said before wiping her eyes and turning around. "But you need to remember, I am not Lily. I am Penny and you are Liam."

"Yeah, well anyway, the offer still stands. You know where to find me." James said before leaving the room. When the door closed Lily walked to her luggage and began to unpack. Once she was finished she looked around the room once more before sitting on her bed and pulling her legs to her chest. She closed her eyes and thought of how her summer would be going if the attack had never happened. Right now she would be packing to go to Alice's house. They would be sun bathing and swimming in the lake near her house this week. The three girls would be gossiping about who was doing what with whom. The summer would have been filled with campfires and stargazing and swimming. If the attack never happened… If her parents were still alive…

"Oh!" Lily's eyes snapped open at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was going to be here this early." Said the girl. Lily's blue eyes met the girls chocolate brown eyes. The girl had black hair that had a slight curl to it, reaching just below her shoulders. The girl was stunning, but what caught Lily's attention was the slight Irish accent that her voice carried. Lily stared at the girl, not knowing what to do or say. Luckily the girl broke the silence.

"My name is Iris Hewson. And you are new here." The girl said, walking to Lily's bed and extending a hand.

"Penny Harrison. Yeah, I am new here." Lily said, accepting the girl's hand.

"You're a Scouser, aren't you?" Iris said with a smile.

"Yeah… something like that…" Lily said hesitantly.

"So tell me, what are you doing here in the States? Shouldn't you be going to Hogwarts?"

"I could ask you the same." Lily muttered before answering, "I just moved here to get away from the war. Um, it's getting pretty intense over there."

"Yeah, I know. I lost my family two years ago to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They stood up against him. My mum was a muggleborn and my father a full blood. They had invented something that the Dark Lord wanted. Beats me what it was though. They kept it a secret from me. When they died I was sent here to live with my great aunt." Iris said, as she sat down on the bed next to Lily's.

"Wow, I'm sorry. But that doesn't explain why you are here early. I was told school doesn't start for another month."

"Well, my aunt died a few months back. Leaving me with no family. Professor Beckett was kind enough to let me stay over the summer holidays." Iris replied with a pained look in her eyes. Lily understood this pain. It was the same pain she felt every moment. At this moment Lily knew she was going to be great friends with this outspoken girl.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

James walked around his office inspecting everything he found. He had unpacked the few things he had brought with him already. The room was very tidy, with a few papers spread out on his desk. The papers contained a brief overview of what each of the classes had already gone over. That calmed a few of his nerves. Now he wouldn't have to worry about catching up to the class…

He moved over to the bookshelf in the corner of the room. There were many books that he had never heard of lined up next to the few books he had. James sighed. He had no idea how he was going to teach these classes. Sure, Transfiguration had been his best class back at Hogwarts but that was years ago. He was a trained auror.

James sat at his desk and looked over the papers again. Another sigh. This was going to be frustrating. He needed to talk with someone. Yes, he wasn't supposed to be in contact with anyone from his past but he needed to talk with someone familiar. James yanked the desk drawer open and pulled out the things he would need to write a letter. Dipping his quill into the ink well he began to write:

_Padfoot,_

_I am sorry for leaving and not telling you about it. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to tell you what I am doing. I want to meet up with you the next time you play Salem. I will meet you at the entrance to the quidditch pitch an hour after the game. I'll be the one with red hair. I promise I will tell you more when we meet up._

_Prongs_

James leaned back in his chair looking at the letter. He knew he shouldn't have written it. He knew he shouldn't send it. But Sirius was his best friend. Heck, Sirius was more than that. The bond they shared was more than a normal brotherly bond. James was Sirius's only family. Over the years they had somehow managed to become nearly one person. The bond they shared was the type that people would expect twins to have. The bond was nearly that of a vampire and his maker; there was no betrayal. James knew that Sirius would never tell a soul about the secret James was keeping.

He looked at the watch on his wrist and then hastily folded the letter and sealed it. If he wanted to get this letter sent in time for dinner he would need to leave now.

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Lily lay in bed thinking of the past day's events. At first this seemed to be one of the worst days of her life but meeting Iris had turned that around. The two of them had immediately clicked. Lily could tell that she was going to be one of her best friends out here. She let her mind wonder to James. He had been so kind to her, even though she knew she didn't deserve it. She knew in the days to come she was going to have o rely on him. She was going to need him and that scared her. She couldn't figure out what about that scared her. All she knew was that she was going to have to let him get close to her.

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**AN: Ok, so this chapter was going to be longer than this but I thought this would be a good place to stop this chapter. I must let you know that the character Iris does not belong to me. The fabulous XSiriusIsTheBestX is her creator. I suggest reading her story. It is amazing and I fell in love with her character and felt she would be a perfect addition to my story. So please Review and then check out XSiriusIsTheBestX  
**

**Also! I have a website for this story! It gives you just a bit of info about the main characters and it has pictures of how I imagine the characters to look. So yeah check it out, the address is in my profile.  
**

**The next chapter will be up by Friday!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I just wanted to clear one thing up real quickly before the story starts. I am sure not many of you know what a Scouser is. Lily is referred to as a Scouser because in my story she is from the Liverpool area and the people in Liverpool are called Scousers and they speak with a scouse accent, which I cannot write. I fell in love with Liverpool when I was there and felt that it worked for Lily. Anyway, on with the story! **(This is kinda all irrelevant right now I think… Hahahahaha!)

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my good friend Sarah (DolphinDreamer24-7) Today is her birthday and I worked super hard to finish this chapter in time for her birthday as a kind of birthday gift/surprise. Thanks for sticking around with me for so long! Have a great birthday and a super fun ride back to Hogwarts today! Hahahaha!

Chapter 5

Two weeks after sending his letter to Sirius, James stood outside of the entrance to the Salem Quidditch Stadium. The crowed has disappeared quickly after the game. Most likely the majority of them had gone to the local wizard pubs to celebrate. James had made himself comfortable leaning against the gate. He was excited that any minute he would see his best mate. It felt like it had been forever. James looked down the hall and saw Sirius walking towards him.

"Padfoot." He called out. Sirius looked up at him and smile.

"Prongs? Is that really you? Man, what happened to you?" Sirius said, tousling James' hair.

"It's a long story. I can't tell you here. Let's go to my office." James said.

"Office? Where? Jam—" James quickly shoved his hand over Sirius' mouth, successfully stopping the words coming out of his friends mouth.

"I am not James anymore." He whispered harshly. "It is detrimental that you now call me Liam, otherwise you risk not only my life but another's also. Do you understand?" James said, not daring to move his hand until Sirius nodded his head.

"Yeah, mate, I understand." Sirius said with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Ok good. Lets get out of here. I just took the position of Transfiguration professor at Winston. Come on, grab my arm and we can apparate there." James said. Sirius grabbed a hold of James' arm and before he knew it they were on the grounds of Winston.

"So I was one of the first people to get to there after the explosion. I saw Joni's best friend standing in the ruins and knew that Joni would kill me if I didn't do all I could to help her friend. I stayed with her the rest of the night when she was questioned in Moody's office and then the next day I was there as a body guard as she and Joni went shopping. When we got home Dumbledore and Moody told me that I had to take this assignment." James said sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"And now you are Liam. Man, things are going to be different without you back in London… What are we going to do?" Sirius asked.

"Well, we still have the mirrors. You'll just have to remember not to call me by my name… But seriously, you can't tell anyone. Not even Remus. Understand?" James said in a serious tone.

"Yeah, don't worry. I wont tell anyone. So do I get to meet this girl?" Sirius questioned, smiling.

"No." James said quickly.

Two month later

Lily sat in the front of her favorite class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, next to her new best friend Iris. It was her favorite class for two reasons: 1) Lord Voldemort had killed her parents nearly five months ago, causing her to flee her beloved England and move across the pond to the USA, where the only person she knew was her former best friend's bother who was now her body guard. Now she would stop at nothing to defeat Voldemort and DADA gave her the ability to face him. 2) Said best friend's brother, James, was the professor, and he was anything but had on the eyes.

She could never tell her friends the true reason why she liked him. They didn't know the circumstances that brought her here, and they could never find out. Nor could they ever find out about all those late nights she visited his office to find out information about what Voldemort has been doing in England.

She also couldn't tell them that she had been sneaking into his office every night for the past two months. They would stay up late into the night listening to a radio program that a few members of the Order of the Phoenix broadcasted in secret.

On this particular night, Lily was preparing to leave for his office.

-Lily's POV-

I looked at my alarm clock and it read midnight. As quietly as I cold, I pulled the curtains around my bed, revealing the small room that housed four others and myself. I looked around and saw all the curtains were drawn shut. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I found my slippers and robe and pulling them on. I made my way to the door and slipped out unnoticed. I made my way down the stairs a bit more noisily.

"Penny, where are you going?" came a voice out of the darkened common room.

"Iris? Where are you?" I asked before pulling out my wand and casting a quick lumos. Her face appeared right in front of me. "What are you doing up this late?"

" You didn't answer my question. Where are you going? And don't give me any bullshit. I know that you have been leaving every night."

" Iris… I… I cant—"

" Penny, I am your best friend. You can trust me. Have you been seeing someone in secret? Who is he?" Iris asked.

" Ire, I can't tell you right now. But I promise that I will tell you… just not right now. I'm sorry but I have to go." I said, brushing past her and leaving the common room and making my way to James' office.

The hallways were dark and the moonlight gave everything and eerie glow. An overwhelming feeling of alones washed over me as I walked the empty halls. Had I been back at Hogwarts, I would have been sneaking out to Hogsmead with Jonas to go drinking or dancing… not sneaking off to the office of an older man we hardly knew. I mean, sure I had know James for five months but did we really know each other? I couldn't tell you his favorite color or the name of his best friend and I am positive that he couldn't answer the same for me. And now I just pushed away the only friends I had in this whole wretched school.

I am alone. The realization hits me like a train. I felt my knees give way but made no attempt to keep myself from falling to the ground. Voldemort had succeeded. He had taken everything I knew and loved away from me. A sob escaped my lips as tears rolled down my face. I haven't cried since the week my parents had died. All the emotions I had been feeling over the past few months hit me as I continue to let the tears run freely. I couldn't breathe. My chest was tightening up painfully. I was gasping for the breath that wouldn't come.

Suddenly, warm arms wrapped around me.

"Shhh, Lily. It's ok. I am here. Everything is gonna be ok. Shhh…" My savior said, calming me down. I gasped one last time for breathe and felt the pain in my chest subside as the cool night air rushed into my lungs. The arms around me were so warm and comforting that I instantly relaxed.

"There you go… It's ok." He said as his arms tightened around me. I lifted my head and craned my neck to see who the man was that comforting me. My eyes me the beautiful blue of my savior's and I instantly recognized them.

"James…" I said, breathing in the night air. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry. Let's get you back to the office and warm you up first. Then we can talk." He said before picking me up off the ground. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked, moving to stand me on my feet.

"I'm not sure."

Before my feet even touched the ground he had picked me back up bridal style and started to carry me off down the hall to his office.

Once inside he sat me in an over-stuffed chair next to the fire and wrapped a blanket around me. He sat in the chair across from me and stared into the fire. The minutes passed by slowly as I waited for my heart rate to slow down again. I waited for James to say something and as the minutes passed my hope of hearing his words of comfort quickly died. I knew that my breakdown in the hall was a sing of weakness.

I also knew that James had been expecting so much from me. I needed to be the strong women that I had been raised to be. We couldn't afford for me to have a mental breakdown. Our safety relied on us being strong and I had failed.

"James…" I said tentatively, "I am sorry about that… It won't happen again."

" You're right, it won't." He said, staring at me. "Next time come to me. I can help you. You don't have to cry alone in the dark. That is why Dumbledore sent me with you. I am not here just to protect you and keep you safe. I am here so you have someone to turn to and talk to." He moved closer to me, kneeling on the ground and grabbing my hands. "Lily, I thought you already knew you could come to me at any time. My door is always open to you. It is important that we lean on each other."

"Thanks James." I said, my eyes finally meeting his.

"No problem. Now why don't you tell me why you were crying tonight?" He said, sitting back on his feet, never letting go of my hand.

"It's stupid really. I was just on my way over here when Iris stopped me and asked where I was going. I couldn't tell her I was coming here because I would have to tell her who I really was. So instead I told her I couldn't tell her right now but I would later. I lied to my only friend here… I can't tell her the truth." I said in one breath. I could feel the moisture start to form in my eyes. I looked at James helplessly. " I don't know what I am going to do… If I don't tell her something she is going to be pissed… James I don't want to lose my only friend here!" The tears started rolling down my face again.

"Don't worry Lily. We will think of something. Do you know what she may think you are doing?" He asked, brushing the tears away with his thumbs.

"She thinks I am seeing someone in secret."

"Perfect! That's an easy solution."

"No it isn't James. Who am I going to tell her I am going off with? I can't tell her about you! What am I going to do?" I put my head in my hands.

"I got it! Give me a minute." He said before standing and walking into his bedroom. He came back out a few minutes later carrying a small mirror.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Shhh. Just a minute. Sirius." He said looking straight into the mirror. "Sirius? Padfoot! Answer your damn mirror you mangy mutt." He growled.

"Hey, watch who you call a mutt." A voice said, coming from the mirror.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, grabbing the mirror from his hand. "What the…" I said as I saw a face in the mirror that was not my own. The face that stared back at me was hansom and familiar. The stranger had the most beautiful gray eyes I had ever seen. The way his dark hair framed his face accentuated his high cheekbones and his beautiful smile showed his white teeth off perfectly. All together he reminded me of some Greek demigod.

"Lily, this is my best mate Sirius Black. I think he may be able to help us." James said taking the strange mirror back from my hands. "Sirius, we need your help. Lily has been asked by someone close to her why she keeps sneaking off at night and whom she is going to see."

"And clearly she can't spill the beans." Sirius finished for James.

"Wait how does Sirius know of our secret? We weren't supposed to tell anyone." I said, furious that James was still in contact with his best mate.

"Lily, that something you need to learn about me. I don't follow rules. Especially when the rules mean not seeing my brother. I am more of the type f person who is more focused on the well being of myself and my kin." James said looking at me with a hard face.

"James, you woke me up. Let's get on with what you need me to do." Sirius' voice brought us out of our unspoken staring contest.

"Right, well I was thinking that Sirius, you could pretend to be her boyfriend. It makes sense. I mean Sirius you are on an international Quidditch team; you are always traveling across the pond. She can use my mirror to show her friend that she really is dating you. You guys have to keep it a secret because you are still in school and can't have the paparazzi following you around. It's too simple really. You will help, wont you Sirius?" James said. It really was the perfect plan. No one would suspect I was actually sneaking out to see my professor. No one need know that my true name is Lily, not Penny, and that I, along with James, was a refuge from England.

"Yeah, I'll help. I could never overlook a beautiful women in need." Sirius said. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"Great, then why don't you come over so you can meet your new girlfriend?" James said smiling. He then placed the mirror in my lap and stepped over to the fireplace. I looked at the mirror, expecting to see Sirius' face but instead saw my own eyes. I began to inspect the mirror, only to realize that now all it was was a mirror. There was no secret switch or buttons on the back. No etched directions anywhere to be found. The sudden blaze of the fire interrupted my search. I looked up to see the beautiful man, who was in the mirror mere moments before, stepping into the room, brushing the soot off his clothing. He looked up, saw me, and quickly moved towards me. Before I knew what was happening I was pulled to my feet and wrapped into the arms of Sirius Black.

"Lily my love. It is so good to finally meet you. Mean old James has been hiding you away from me, keeping you all to himself." He said, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Yeah, because I knew you wouldn't be able to control yourself. You never could resist a beautiful women." James said, smiling at his mate. Sirius turned towards James and engulfed him in a hug.

"It's been a while mate. London just hasn't been the same with you gone."

"I'm sorry. Hopefully things will be resolved soon. I mean, I am going crazy here. I want to be out fighting again."

"Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt your little catch up time but it is nearly two in the morning and I have to wake up early for class tomorrow. We need to figure this all out." I interrupted their conversation. I looked at the clock and realized that I had to wake up in four hours.

"Just tell your friend you are sleeping with Sirius Black, famous and hottest beater on the best quidditch team in the world, Puddlemere United!" Sirius said, raising his arms in the air and smiling.

"Well I am sure you would love for me to say that but I am not telling my friend that. She would want too many details." I folded my arms across my chest.

"I could give you some examples which you could use for your details." Sirius said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Ugh, you are so crude. This will never work." I said moving away from Sirius and towards James.

"No, this has to work. Sirius stop being such a dolt. You guys need to learn more about each other so it's more believable. Lily, you now know that Sirius is a beater for Puddlemere. Why don't you tell him what your plans are for after school?" James edged us on.

"I want to fight Voldemort. I am going to kill him for what he has done to my family and other muggle families." I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Voldemort kinda ruined my plans. I want to ruin his now."

"Wow, you are a feisty one, aren't you? I think I'm in love." Sirius said, looking me in the eyes. "I hate my family because they are al Death Eaters. We have the hatred of Voldemort to share."

The conversation then flowed easily as Sirius told me stories of his Hogwarts years. As he spoke he changed from the flirt who had entered the room to a very loyal and loveable man. My heart grew for him as he told me of his brother whom he tried so hard to keep away from the death eaters but had failed miserably at. By the end of the night, I was sure I was in love with the man sitting before me. Soon it was time for me to leave. Sirius was going to walk me to my room but before we could leave James asked to talk to me alone.

"Lily, I am going to give you my mirror. You must take extreme care with it. Its one of a kind and cant be replaced or repaired.

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of it." I said, gently placing the mirror into the pocket of my robe.

"What do you think of this plan?" He asked, looking for my reaction.

"Sirius is brilliant. I can see why you two have become so close. I really like him. He is such a sweet heart." I said, smiling at James.

"Well he is a charmer. Just be careful, Lily."

"I will be. Thanks for the help James. I'll see you tomorrow. Night!" I said before walking out the door. I saw Sirius leaning against the wall and soon we fell into a comfortable pace next to each other. The majority of the walk was silent but as we neared the common room he stopped us and turned towards me.

"Was James warning you about me?"

"Yeah."

"Well you don't have to worry; I am a prefect gentleman." He said leaning in closer to me. His gaze was so intense. I licked my lips in some sort of anticipation. He leaned in closer to me, eyes still bearing into mine. When he was an inch away from me I felt myself close the gap between us.

I didn't know why I was kissing him but his lips felt so warm and inviting that I didn't want to stop. His lips melted against mine. He kissed me like I was the only girl on the planet. He slowly backed me up against the wall. Any remaining fears of being alone quickly left me as we continued to kiss. I felt his tongue run across my lips, asking permission to enter. I parted my lips slowly and felt his tongue enter and greet my own tongue. My hands found their way to his hair and I felt his fingers try to find the bottom of my sleep shirt.

I turned my head away from him and gasped for breath. Sirius continued his lip assault on my neck and ear.

"Sirius…" I panted. "We need to stop…" I stifled a moan when he began to suck at my pulse point on my neck. "Sirius." I said again more forcefully. He stopped and pulled away.

"I'm sorry. You are so beautiful…" He said, resting his forehead against mine.

"Don't worry. I just need to get to bed. It was nice meeting you. Night Sirius." I said, walking into the common room.

"Night" He said before the door closed.

I walked to my bed and lay down, thinking of what just happened. A smile spread across my face as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

AN: Hey guys! I am back! I am so sorry for the long wait in between updates. I had such a major case of writers block. I honestly thought I wouldn't write for this story ever again, but here I am! I promise the next chapter will be up a lot sooner than this one. I am back in school now and have at least one boring class a day that I have been using to write. Anyways I hope you all like this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!


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